Book of Love
by fowl68
Summary: You have to walk carefully in the beginning of love; the running across fields into your lover's arms can only come later when you're sure they won't laugh if you trip.


**Disclaimer:** Don't own anything. The song is Book of Love by Peter Gabriel. It's on the Shall We Dance soundtrack.

**Author's Note**: Been very much into dancing movies today. Watched Shall We Dance, Dirty Dancing, Dirty Dancing Havana Nights and both Step Ups.  
I am going to attempt to write pairings that I haven't written before, some that I haven't even written before and some that I don't even like, so forgive me if it comes out badly.

Ah, and there are some small references to some events in Concerning Cooking, World Saving and Friendship, but they're not a big deal. You can ignore them if you like.

There is gay love in here, so don't come complaining at me later that you didn't know.

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_You have to walk carefully in the beginning of love; the running across fields into your lover's arms can only come later when you're sure they won't laugh if you trip. ~Jonathan Carroll, "Outside the Dog Museum"_

-/-/

_The book of love is long and boring  
No one can lift the damn thing  
It's full of charts and facts and figures and instructions for dancing _

It's been a month since the worlds had been unified and parties were happening all across the world. But the only one that the companions actually received a formal invitation to was the one in Meltokio, for the nobles. They couldn't risk offending the King, so they dressed themselves up in shimmering silk and lace and went.

Regal glanced across the room, unsurprised to see Raine leaning against the wall, talking with Sheena. Both were shy in big crowds, something that Regal found very odd now that he knew them so well. They were both fiery, confident women, but in situations like this, they chose to be wallflowers.

Regal excuses himself from the conversation and crosses the room to the two women he was proud to call friends. He returns their smiles and holds out a hand _(it still felt odd to not have his other hand follow, linked by a chain)_.

Sheena's biting her lip, trying not to smile too widely at the look that Raine gives him. "Regal?"

"Dance with me, Raine?"

"I've no idea how." It doesn't occur to her to say no. It's Regal. She's learned to trust him, to trust everyone in their little, dysfunctional family.

He's still holding his hand out and smiling at her. It looks different from his usual smile, but she's trying to ignore that fact for right now. "That's alright. I'll teach you."

No one had ever been there to teach her and she'd been so busy teaching and taking care of Genis that she'd never been able to participate in Iselia's festivals. Raine doubts she would have been able to dance under the best of circumstances, but she was wearing a white silk dress and heels and she's sure that she'll fall, even as she takes Regal's hand and allows herself to be led onto the dance floor.

It's not much later that they're tripping over each other and cracking up because Raine had been discovered to have two left feet and Regal was still having a few difficulties balancing without his shackles. They're holding onto each other's shoulders, trying to restrain the laughter and Regal can feel the stares of the other nobles and knows that there's no one else he'd rather dance with.

_But I  
I love it when you read to me  
And you  
You can read me anything _

They're curled up on the couch, Sheena sitting with her feet on the coffee table and Zelos with his head in her lap, dozing. It was one of those hot Meltokio summers and neither of them is feeling particularly partial to going outside.

He can feel her fingers combing through his bangs. "Zelos Wilder, July 12, my house. Keep reading."

He can feel her body shake with her chuckles. "What was that?"

"Answering the questions I know you're about to ask and a request."

"They're just reports from Orochi."

Zelos shrugged. "I don't mind. I like your reading."

Sheena is reminded of Flanoir and children's tales, so she shifts a little and continues to read.

_The book of love has music in it  
In fact that's where music comes from  
Some of it is just transcendental  
Some of it is just really dumb _

Being from the various regions that they're from, they naturally are all partial to their own music tastes. So when they go around the world to oversee the reconstructions and to visit all of the towns for their reunification parties, they all get tastes of the local music.

Sheena finds that she's partial to Triet's dances, which are bold with the deep strikes of drums accompanied by quick guitars and wooden flutes. There was a girl dancing with a tambourine and a scarf and Sheena isn't surprised to see the men's eyes, married or unmarried, follow every movement of her hips.

Meltokio is all smooth violins and cellos with elegant waltzes. None of them feel at ease there in their layers of silk and uncomfortable twists of their hair. It's too tame for them, too tame for these people who have become so accustomed to letting the beasts inside them, which are always prepared to fight, roam during their journey.

In Exire, all of the dancing is in groups, arms around each other's shoulders and chanting. They still feel a little awkward and they stumble over theirs and other's feet until Yuan quietly points out the trick to it.

Iselia is all square dancing and quick two-steps. There, they laugh and hold each other's hands and collapse onto the floor beside each other when they're too tired to continue.

"You guys are such hillbillies." Zelos comments to Lloyd when they first arrive. He isn't very good at the square dancing and he says that the singing is repetitive.

But when Lloyd pads downstairs a few mornings later into Zelos' kitchen, he stops at the doorway because he can hear Zelos singing it. He just leans against the doorframe and waits for his lover to notice him.

When Zelos finally looks up from making the eggs and bacon, he sees Lloyd smirking at him and he knows that they've rubbed off on each other far too much. "So, when you said that the singing was repetitive, what you _really meant_ was that it was going to get stuck in your head?"

Zelos smiles casually. "I don't know what you're talkin' about, bumpkin."

Lloyd laughs and kisses him before stealing his bacon.

_But I  
I love it when you sing to me  
And you  
You can sing me anything _

Yuan has lived four thousand years, at the very least, and over those many years, he's learned quite a few things. Singing was one of them, as Sheena finds out one night when he's washing the dishes.

When he notices her, he immediately looks back to the dishes, letting his bangs fall forward to hide his face. Yuan had been a man who played things close to the vest for thousands of years, so Sheena isn't surprised at the reaction. Instead, she reaches for the dish in his hands and begins to dry it with a towel.

"Don't stop." She says.

Yuan glances back at her. The only other person left alive now that knew that he liked to sing was Kratos. Botta had known, as had Mithos and Martel.

When he doesn't say anything, Sheena asks, "…Where'd you learn those songs?" Sheena has traveled to every corner of the world, so she likes to think she'd be able to at least guess at where the song is from, but she doesn't have a clue as to these.

"…My mother taught them to my brother. I used to hear him singing them all the time when we were working the fields." This is the first Sheena's ever heard of his family.

"What was your mother like?"

Yuan blinks in surprise at her. "Why do you ask?"

Sheena lifts and drops her shoulders in a shrug. "Never met mine, so I'm wondering what mothers are like."

Yuan admits that he can't remember her very well. Memories began to fade if you gave them enough time, he explains. They're both silent for a long moment, washing and drying, before Yuan says, "…Any requests?"

Sheena smiles a little. "Your choice."

_The book of love is long and boring  
And written very long ago  
It's full of flowers and heart-shaped boxes  
And things we're all too young to know_

Lloyd likes to play with her hair. Likes to bat at it like a cat, stroke it or just twine the blonde strands around his fingers when they're talking about the little details of their lives.

She's surprised one night when, as they were sitting on their back porch and just watching the stars_ (It's a habit he refuses to let go of and she wouldn't ask him to do otherwise. Kratos was his father too, after all.)_ when she sits up and she feels a little heavier than before. In answer to her confused look, Lloyd smiles and holds up a lock of her hair, showing to her the flowers he'd braided into it.

When she wakes up on the fourteenth of February, she can see flowers lying on the pillow beside her. They're hand-clipped, she knows. Lloyd had learned a lot about plants from Dirk. Lying underneath them is a square piece of paper with the words _Happy Valentine's Day_ written in his scrawly handwriting.

_But I  
I love it when you give me things  
And you  
You ought to give me wedding rings _

Kratos glances at Yuan across the campfire that night, smirking at his nervousness. He'd been surprised when Yuan had woken him during his watch and said in a harsh whisper, "I need your help."

Kratos had obliged, of course. How could he not, for his best friend? His near brother? He'd accompanied Martel and Mithos through the town, had been sure to keep them far from jeweler's.

And now Yuan was standing on shaky legs and moving towards Martel, who looked at him curiously. "Is something wrong, Yuan? You don't look so good."

Mithos and Kratos exchanged a look. Mithos bit the inside of his cheek to keep the smile from his face and Kratos rubbed the back of his hand against his lips, though from the glance Yuan gave him, it clearly didn't erase the smile.

Yuan kneeled and fumbled as he got the ring out of his pocket. It's the only time Kratos has ever seen him so nervous.

"M-Martel?"

"What is it?"

"W-w-will you marry m-me?"

_And I  
I love it when you give me things  
And you  
You ought to give me wedding rings__…  
_


End file.
